Merry Mishaps
by NutellaHeaven
Summary: Sometimes one of the most frivolous days of the year can that turn out to be the most memorable. *Amourshipping (Ash x Serena)


**Author's Note: Hey! This oneshot is a Christmas-based request that I did for sceptile1993. To be honest, I'm not really a hardcore Amourshipper, but after writing this I do think Ash and Serena are sort of cute together. This oneshot is mainly just silly fluff, so there's not really much more for me to say about it. I hope you like it, though!**

* * *

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It's the time when the entire Kalos Region is sheathed in a delicate white carpet of snow.

It's the time when little children make wish-lists and write letters to Santa Delibird.

It's the time when we show compassion to our loved ones through gifts and spending time together.

And since it's Christmas Eve, I can't keep myself from making a goofy grin as I tighten a frilly pink apron around my waist. I search through the cookbooks on my kitchen shelf while humming happily. After all, today's not just ANY Christmas Eve!

My smile widens as I think of Ash, my childhood friend and (somewhat secret) crush. We agreed to meet up with Clemont and Bonnie at the Lumiose Gym for a Christmas celebration tonight, and I'm ecstatic to say the least.

"Okay! Let's get started, Bonnie!" I call to the tiny blonde girl perched on a nearby stool. Her eyes instantly light up.

"Yeah! Let's make the best cake EVER, Serena! We'll make Ash fall on his knees and cry tears of joy!"

"I highly doubt that will happen, Bonnie!" I stick my tongue out playfully at Bonnie's silliness, and she blows a raspberry in response.

"Nuh-uh!" Bonnie wags her index finger at me. "Anything can happen on Christmas!"

"That doesn't mean grumpigs will start flying!" I laugh as pour flour, sugar, and some baking powder into a large blue bowl.

"But an eelektross can fly!" Bonnie protests as she begins to crack some eggs.

"They levitate, Bonnie. There's a difference!"

"No, there isn't!"

"Yes, there is!"

"They're the same thing!"

"No, they're not!"

"Hmph!" Bonnie folds her arms across her chest. "Any pokemon can fly off of the ground as long as you make it hold an air balloon! Just like how it's possible for you and Ash to end up embracing under a starry, moonlit sky with swannas and luvdiscs singing hymns and dancing in a circle around you-"

"Bonnie, that's not even realistic-"

"And he'll propose to you with a 1 million Pokedollar ring made of pure carbink crystals-"

"Bonnie-"

"And you two will have a cute daughter named Bonnie Jr.-"

"BONNIE! Focus on the cake!" I cry, blushing bright red. I swear, Bonnie has some of the most farfetch'D fantasies! Bonnie smirks as she turns back to the gray bowl that she was cracking eggs into.

"Oh! Oops!" Bonnie exclaims. I glance over, only to see a pile of white shards swimming in a sea of clear yellow goop. I slap my forehead.

"You're supposed to REMOVE the egg shells!"

"I didn't know!" Bonnie shrugs as I pick up the empty egg carton beside her.

"All those organic ducklett eggs went to waste . . ."

"It's okay! We can just use your chansey eggs!"

"Those are even more expensive and valuable!"

"Any price is worth it as long as Ash confesses his undying love for you by the end of tonight!" I shake my head.

"Well, Ash better appreciate the effort being put into this cake." Bonnie pouts as she watches me dump her flop into the garbage.

"Aww . . . Ash would eat even spoink slop if it came from you, Serenaaaaaaaa. . ."

"Ash MAY have an appetite that rivals even a munchlax, but I want him to like this cake." I place my hands on my hips. "Which means the cake has to be EDIBLE. I want to surprise him and make our time together special."

"I know!" Bonnie giggles and shoves me playfully. "'Cause your face gets really red whenever you talk about Ash!" I could feel my already flushed face heat up more.

"A-Anyways, let's finish this cake so we can see Ash and Clemont soon!" I stutter as I reach into the fridge for a container of chansey eggs.

"Roger that!" Bonnie gives me a childish salute as I start to crack the eggs one-by-one.

"We need to hurry . . ."

"Don't worry! We can use Fennekin's flamethrower to help the cake bake faster!" There was an awkward moment of silence as I shook my head.

"No, Bonnie. We can't do that."

"Let's steal some leaves from a pansage and add them to the cake!" Bonnie suggests, ignoring me. I groan.

_It's going to be a long night._

* * *

"Aww! How much longer is it gonna take?!" Bonnie complains as she stares intently at the oven. She's seated on the floor, watching as the cake batter slowly solidifies. Miraculously, we managed to make a batch of cake batter without harming anyone or any Pokemon in the process.

"It's been about 25 minutes, Bonnie. It won't take much longer!"

"It's slower than an aggron . . ." Bonnie mumbles as her shoulders slump.

"Well YOU'RE more impatient than a charizard!" I ruffle Bonnie's hair with my right hand.

"H-Hey! Serenaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Tee hee! I'm just messing with you!" I giggle.

"But still . . . I want some cake now!" I grin at Bonnie's childishness. She could be a handful sometimes, but she was so lively and cute.

"It's not specifically for you, remember?"

"Yeah, it's for your BOYFRIEND, Ash!"

"W-W-Wha?!" My eyes practically pop out of my eye sockets and Bonnie laughs. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"You could've fooled me!"

"He doesn't like me that way-" I am abruptly interrupted when I hear my cell phone ring. Bonnie rushes over to see the caller ID and she squeals with delight.

"Speak of the devil! It's your knight in shining armor!" My heart is thumping in my chest, and I'm trying to stop my hand from shaking so I can answer the phone.

**Beep!**

"Um . . . Hello?"

"Hey, Serena! It's Ash!" My heart beats faster when I hear Ash's familiar masculine voice.

"Hi, Ash! What's up?"

"I was just wondering what you and Bonnie are doing. Clemont and Pikachu are getting a little impatient, and I'm starving!" I grin. Of course Ash is hungry. When is he not hungry?

"He actually means that he misses you and wants you to go to the Lumiose Gym as soon as possible!" Bonnie is making an effort to whisper, but she's so excited that she whisper-yells her comment. I raise a finger to my mouth to silence her before I resume my conversation with Ash.

"Oh, we're just a little busy preparing, that's all!" I glance at Bonnie, as if to say 'don 't spoil the surprise'. She quickly slaps a hand over her mouth.

"Don't worry, it's all good! Take your time!" Somehow my face got even hotter. Ash was seriously the most kind and laid-back person I'd ever met in my life.

"Ah, th-thanks Ash! What are you up to right now?"

"Well, Clemont made a 'removes-fleas-a-tron' as a Christmas gift for Pikachu, but I think Pikachu got a little insulted." Ash chuckles.

"If I were Pikachu, I would be insulted."

"You wouldn't need a machine for removing fleas, Serena! Your hair's already nice and flea-free. I can't always say the same for Pikachu." Ash exclaims.

My hair's nice and flea-free . . . I think that was supposed to be a compliment.

Wait. He compared my hair to Pikachu's fur. So was that not a compliment?

Is he saying that my hair resembles a furry yellow mouse?

I shake my head. I'm clearly overthinking this.

"Heh heh. Well, I hope Pikachu can find it in his heart to spare Clemont a trip to the hospital."

"Pikachu tackled Clemont but he's alright. Just a bruise on the stomach."

"Ouch. That's one Christmas gift I can do without." Ash laughs and I'm sure that my face became a deeper shade of red.

"I bet our Christmas dinner will make him feel better though!"

"Yeah-"

"SERENAAAAA! IT'S DONE!" Bonnie shouts, pointing at the oven. I frown at her, but she eagerly runs over to the oven door.

"Huh? What's done?" Ash asks, obviously confused. I start to panic as I try to think of an excuse.

"Um . . . something." I find myself grinning sheepishly, hoping that Ash doesn't question my vagueness. Thankfully, he doesn't.

"So, are you excited for tonight? I can't wait to see what sort of unique food Clemont's gonna serve!"

"O-Of course I'm excited!" I watch anxiously as Bonnie removes the cake pan from the oven with a Jigglypuff themed oven mitt. Her hands wobble as she picks up the pan. It looks like Bonnie's about to drop the cake. "Uh, I have to go, Ash! I'll see you soon!" I shout into the phone quickly.

"Why the rush- Oh, I mean, I'll see you later, Serena!"

**Beep!**

"Phew." I breathe out a sigh of relief. Bonnie cheers as she places the cake pan on the counter.

"Yay! It turned out great!"

"Thank goodness you didn't drop it. I can't leave you alone for two seconds."

"I'm a mature girl! I'm always taking care of my brother, so I'm practically a grown woman!" Bonnie slaps her chest proudly.

"Whatever you say, Bonnie." I tease her as I walk over to the counter and remove the sponge cake from the pan.

As I apply a layer of chocolate fondue to the cake, Bonnie climbs onto a chair and watches with her wide blue eyes.

"Wow, it looks amazing! Ash is going to love it!" She winks at me and I feel extremely pleased.

"I'm almost done!" I finish coating the cake with fondue, and I step back admire my handiwork. "It looks good! I need to get dressed right after I ice it!" Bonnie immediately starts hopping up and down.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let me write the message in icing! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" I smile at Bonnie's enthusiasm.

"Sure! Just write 'Merry Christmas' as neat as you can, okay?" I hand Bonnie a pastry bag filled with green icing.

"Huh? But shouldn't I write something more romantic?"

"Please don't write anything embarrassing, Bonnie."

"I'll write 'please _serena_de me under the stars'!"

"I just told you not to write anything embarrassing!"

"'My dear sweet Ashie, you're as lovely as a butterfree'!"

"You can't write either of those things!" I exclaim. Bonnie folds her arms across her chest.

"Aww . . . are you sure?"

"Yes, I am!"

"Okay . . ." Bonnie shrugs and starts to decorate the borders of the circular cake with green swirls. I have to admit, she's doing a pretty good job with decorating the cake.

"Hey, Bonnie," I call to the perky little girl. "Can I leave you to ice the cake by yourself?"

"No problem!" Bonnie calls back. "I'll even wrap it for you!" She points at the polka-dotted gift box that I had purchased earlier today, which was sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Thank you so much!" I beam at Bonnie's generosity before heading to my room so I could change into the special outfit I had prepared for tonight.

It's a red Santa-themed outfit that I bought yesterday.

It includes a red Santa hat adorned with three white cotton balls. The knee-length dress, mini-cape, and boots match my hat. Also, the entire outfit is laced with white cotton at the cuffs and edges. The entire ensemble is complete with a Poke ball-themed bow that holds my capelet together.

As I get dressed, I can feel myself getting jittery with excitement.

_This Christmas Eve is going to be special._

* * *

"You have the cake, right?" I whisper to Bonnie as we approach the Lumiose City Gym together.

"Of course!" She hands me a red and white polka-dotted box, and I sigh in relief. I place the wrapped cake into a sack, which I carefully sling over my shoulder.

"Are you ready?" I turn to face Bonnie. She nods and flashes me a thumbs-up sign.

"Yup!"

"Do you remember what to do?"

"Uh huh!"

"Okay! Be sure to distract Ash and Clemont while I climb to the rooftop!"

"And then you'll come down the chimney with the cake and surprise everyone!" Bonnie grins and claps her hands together. "See?! I remembered!"

"Good!" I pat Bonnie on the head before I walk over to a pile of crates beside the entrance of the Gym. I climb on top of the crates slowly, and then I use a nearby

windowsill to propel myself upwards. Meanwhile, Bonnie skips into the Gym, ready to greet Ash and her older brother.

_I really hope this goes well..._

I am praying that I don't fall every time I take a cautious step upwards.  
Not to mention it's not exactly easy to climb a tall building in a dress.

_Focus Serena. You can do this..._

"Eeep!" I stumble a bit with my footing as I accidentally knock a flowerpot off of a windowsill. I hear the pot crash to the ground below.

_Shoot._

Somehow, I make it to the roof in one piece. I puff out a sigh of relief as I heave my entire body onto the rooftop. I pause for a second to catch my breath, and I check to make sure that the cake is still in one piece. Miraculously, it's unharmed.

I can't tell what's going on inside of the Gym, but I'm praying that Bonnie is a good fibber. I spot the square-shaped chimney to my left, and I sneak towards it quietly. There's no smoke coming from the chimney, so I can safely bet that the fireplace isn't lit. Perfect.

I make sure that the cake is secure under my right arm before I steadily descend down the chimney by climbing into the rectangular opening.

I try to find a foothold on the jagged brick walls, but it's too dark for me to see anything clearly. I bump my head against the wall behind me, and I yelp in pain. My hands grope around for something to hold onto, but I am standing precariously on a brick that I can barely discern.

"How the heck does Santa Delibird do this anyway- Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I yelp as I realize that there is nothing beneath my feet.

I scramble to find a foothold, but I find myself falling into the darkness of the chimney.

* * *

"Oooof!" There's finally enough light for me to register my surroundings. I'm lying on my stomach on top of a pile of unlit driftwood. I feel sore from the impact, but I don't think anything is broken. At least . . . I hope not.

I sigh. That chimney climb was an absolute failure. I pray that my fall didn't make too much noise, and that no one was drawn by the commotion.

But it was too late.

"Whoa! Is that you, Serena? Are you okay?!" I peer at the male figure in front of me. Oh, crap. It's Ash.

"I-I'm fine . . ." I'm mortified that Ash found me like this, but he kindly offers me his hands. I try to stand up, but a sharp pain shoots up my legs and I topple over. "Ack!" He's able to catch me before I face-plant on the firewood, and I manage to stumble out of the fireplace with his help.

"Serena, you don't look so fine." Ash's coffee-brown eyes are focused on my face and I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. His hands are on my shoulders, keeping me steady on my feet. "Are you hurt?"

"I-It's probably just my boots!" I laugh nervously. "They're hurting my feet a little . . ."

"Oh, I see." Ash looks slightly relieved. "But why were you in the fireplace? I heard a scream coming from the chimney earlier." My jaw drops and I blush in embarrassment.

"I wanted to surprise you . . ." I mumble.

"Like Santa Delibird, without the Stantler and carriage?"

"Y-Yes . . ." I hang my head slightly.

"Well, you've got some guts, Serena!" Ash laughs heartily, and I make a small smile even though I still feel idiotic. My feet ache and I shift uncomfortably under Ash's gaze.

"Ah, give me a second, Ash . . ." I lean down to remove my right boot. I wobble a little bit on my left foot, but I feel Ash wrap his arms around my waist to give me more support. He is practically embracing me. The heat in my cheeks spreads throughout my entire face, but I try to focus on my boot. Somehow, I remove it, and I sigh in relief. Even though my foot throbs a bit, the pinching sensation from the boot is gone.

"Uh, Serena? Wouldn't it be better to take off your shoes while sitting down?" I look up at Ash, whose face is slightly pink. Only then did I realize that I had leaned on Ash's chest for support when I was taking off my right shoe.

"Oh, y-you're right! Silly me!" I babble quickly. We are in such close proximity to each other, I wouldn't be surprised if Ash could feel my racing heartbeat. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. "I-I should sit down!"

"Hey, let me help you, Serena." Ash lets me hold onto him awkwardly as I shakily get myself into a seated position on the floor. I don't look Ash in the face as I pull off my left boot and place it next to my right boot, which I discarded near the fireplace.

"Sorry. That was . . . sort of embarrassing . . ." Ash kneels down next to me, and he pats me on the back reassuringly.

I swear, I would need both hands to count how many times I've blushed today.

"Don't mention it." Ash grins and I can feel my knees turning to jelly. His gaze shifts towards the ground. "Are your feet feeling alright?"

I blink. He's staring at my bare feet.

As if I hadn't already embarassed myself enough.

"Um . . ."

"Your feet look sort of red . . ."

"Y-You were looking there?" Ash fidgets with his shirt while he blushes.

"I'm just concerned! I didn't mean to sound weird-"

"It's okay! Really!" I stammer. "My feet just feel a bit sore, that's all!" The atmosphere was pretty awkward in the room. Ash still manages to crack a tiny smile.

"At least your feet aren't as red as your toe nail polish!" he says optimistically.

"You noticed my nail polish?" Did my toe nails look so gaudy that even someone as dense as Ash noticed them?

"Of course I did! Your toes look delicious!" There's a brief moment of silence before Ash slaps his forehead. "No, that came out wrong! I meant the bright red color makes me think of Cheri Berry Juice! I-I like your nail polish!" I stifle a giggle. It wasn't a surprise that Ash was thinking about food.

Dear Arceus, I'm still blushing.

"Anyway, are your feet feeling any better?" Ash smiles sheepishly.

"I should be okay. The pain isn't too bad." I find myself smiling at Ash's caringness.

"Maybe I could give you a foot massage!" he cries. My smile falters as I gape at him in bewilderment, and his eyes widen a bit. "I was joking! But I still want to help . . ." As if on cue, my right foot starts to twinge.

"Um, then could you rub it a little bit?" I grit my teeth and I can feel my right foot throb. Ash slowly rubs my right foot with both of his hands. His hands are slightly cold but soft. "Th-thanks, Ash." I feel like a houndoom just incinerated my face. The whole scene was making me blush like I had a severe sunburn, and I have to admit, I don't think I've ever seen Ash's face turn so red either.

"N-No problem." I wince when Ash touches my heel.

"Ouchie." I praise myself for the most witty remark ever made in history. And that was sarcasm.

"Sorry. I'll be more gentle." Ash apologizes right away. By now, I'm more focused on my burning face than my foot. The pain seems to be nothing next to the heat my face was radiating.

"A-Actually, you can stop! My foot isn't really bothering me anymore!" I stammer. Ash nods and removes his hands. I can't read his facial expression, probably because he's trying to keep a straight face. "My feet don't hurt as much . . ."

"Oh! That's good!"

"Besides I wouldn't want to spoil tonight's celebration with a minor foot injury." I decide to pull my boots back on, since I don't want to be questioned by Clemont or Bonnie if I walk into the Lumiose dining hall barefoot.

"Now that you mention it, we've probably kept Clemont and Bonnie waiting-" Ash abrupty pauses mid-sentence.

"Is something wrong?"

"I just noticed, you have . . . a fair amount of soot on you."

"I-I do?" I examine my outfit carefully, only to see that there is a thin layer of dust and soot all over my body. "Gross. I can't imagine how many baths Santa Delibird and his stantlers have to take every year. I'm NEVER going down a chimney again." Ash seems to be amused by my remark.

"You still look nice in that outfit . . . even though it's a little dirty." I watch Ash as he searches through his coat pockets for something.

"I'm glad you think so-"

"Here. You should probably wipe the soot off of your face." Ash hands me a blue handkerchief, which I graciously accept. My lips form a wide smile.

"Ash, that's so nice of you-" I try to wipe as much soot off my face as I can before there is a rude interruption.

"ASHIE! SERENIE! Are you lovebirds in there?!" I hear Bonnie yell and I resist the urge to face-palm.

"Oh, yeah! We're in here, Bonnie!" Ash calls back casually while standing up. He is unfazed by Bonnie's suggestive remark.

"Come join us for dinner!" Bonnie bursts into the room. "We have a SURPRISE for you, ASH!"

"What? Another one?" Ash scratches the back of his head in confusion while I gasp in horror.

"Oh my Arceus! The CAKE!" I was so distracted by the chimney fiasco and my tender feet that I forgot about the special Christmas cake Bonnie helped me prepare! My eyes scan the fireplace for the sack I was carrying. I spot it on top of the firewood. My feet still feel a bit numb, but I'm able to stand up and reach for the sack. A wave of relief washes over me when I see that the gift box is slightly dented but still intact.

"A cake?!" Ash looks extremely pleased. "I can't wait to eat it!"

"You're gonna love Serena- I mean the cake she made!" Bonnie chirps.

"YOU made it Serena? Man, that's awesome!" I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as I flush with pride at his compliment.

"Ah . . . y-you're welcome . . ." I manage to utter a coherent phrase.

"I want to eat the cake RIGHT NOW!" Ash cries. "Come on, let's go join Clemont in the kitchen's dining room!" He strolls towards a nearby door and Bonnie eagerly bounces after him. I try to hurry after them (but it's difficult since my feet have not fully recovered from my fall), while clutching the cake box tightly and safely in my arms.

_Okay, Serena. Everything's going well. You can't screw this up now. Just smile and act natural . . ._

"Hi, guys! Oh, you're finally here, Serena!" Clemont greets me politely as soon as I enter the dining room, while Ash and Bonnie make a beeline towards the dining table.

"Hey Clemont." I respond, before joining Ash and Bonnie at the long dinner table. It's set with a pure white tablecloth and there are several aromatic and colorful dishes on display. I blink in surprise. The food looks heavenly.

"This looks delicious, Clemont!" Ash cheers. "I can't wait to dig in!"

"WAIT!" Bonnie whines. "Serena's cake comes first!"

"It's not very healthy to have dessert before dinner . . ." Clemont tries to object, but Bonnie lightly shoves her brother aside.

"Ash! Ash! Unwrap the cake! Now!" Bonnie pulls a plaid yellow digital camera out of her purse, ready to snap a million shots of the same scene.

"Okay, okay . . ." I place the gift box on the table in front of Ash as he seats himself in a chair. Bonnie seems to be extremely expectant and overzealous. However, I decide to ignore Bonnie's behavior as Ash removes the ribbon on the gift box.

I draw in a sharp intake of breath as Ash opens the cardboard box inside of the wrapping paper.

"Whoa." Ash stares in awe, and I purse my lips. Was that a good sign, or a bad sign?

"Wow. That's pretty direct, Serena. It's quite daring actually." Clemont is leaning over Ash's shoulder, and his eyes are glued to the cake.

"Direct? Daring?" I'm genuinely confused. "It says 'Merry Christmas'."

"That's not what I see." Clemont replies simply. Bonnie bursts into a fit of giggles, and I feel my heart starting to sink. I lean on the table so I can peer over the small mound of wrapping paper.

_I love you Ashie! -Serenie_

My mind takes a second to register what I'm seeing. Then I panic.

"It's not supposed to say that! Dear Arceus, what did you freakin' do, Bonnie?!" I scramble to cover the cake as Clemont and Ash look at each other with baffled expressions. So much for acting natural . . .

"I thought you would like it!" Bonnie responds innocently. I sigh, feeling humiliated.

"Bonnie, why would you-" I feel a hand on my shoulder before I can start to scold Bonnie. I glance behind me.

"It's alright, Serena. I like the cake. It's unique and you did a good job." The corners of Ash's lips are tugged into a reassuring smile and I blush at the warmth that he is radiating.

"Oh . . ." I fiddle with my dress nervously.

"Come on, Clemont! No one likes a third wheel!" Bonnie blurts out as she drags Clemont away by his backpack. Clemont is clearly struggling, but he's too out of shape to escape from his little sister's grip.

There's an awkward silence after Ash and I hear the dining room door close behind Bonnie and Clemont. We're both seated at the table with the cake between us, but neither of us are speaking.

I can see the message that Bonnie wrote in green icing quite clearly now. She even wrote 'love' in capital letters, an drew pictures of tiny Luvdisc.

"I'm sure it will taste great." Ash finally breaks the uncomfortable silence and I laugh nervously.

"I-I hope so!" I try not to look directly at Ash's face. Ash grabs his fork and plunges it directly into the cake. He pulls off a large chunk and takes a huge bite.

"Wow! It tastes great! It's the best cake I've ever tasted in my life!" Ash pumps his fists into the air.

"Really? I'm surprised!" I giggle at Ash's dramatic and exaggerated reaction. It's really sweet of him to try to alleviate my embarrassment.

"I would eat your sweets everyday, Serena! Honest!"

"N-Next time I'm not going to let Bonnie ice the cake . . ."

" . . . Was that message supposed to be a joke?"

"Well . . ."

" . . .Because I like you Serena. Traveling with you is the best!" My head snaps up, and I can see that Ash's face is slightly pink. My face must be deep scarlet by now. "So I don't mind whatever you put on a cake! Nothing on a cake would freak me out!"

"Even if I drew caterpies eating other caterpies?"

". . . ALMOST nothing on a cake would freak me out."

I start to laugh.

"This Christmas was interesting!" Ash chuckles along with me. "How about we spend next Christmas together too?"

I don't even need to think about my answer.

"I would love that, Ash."


End file.
